A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an injunction preventing the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from conducting a disciplinary proceeding against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central. The order, handed down on Tuesday, followed an ex parte application filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team.
The court’s decision comes after a public dispute between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, which unfolded during a plenary session on February 20. The conflict arose when Akpoti-Uduaghan objected to her allocated seat, a move that led to a heated exchange between the two lawmakers. Akpoti-Uduaghan defied Akpabio’s directive to occupy the assigned seat, continuing to raise a point of order despite being overruled multiple times.
Yemi Adaramodu, the Senator for Ekiti South, later commented on the episode, stating that it had caused damage to the Senate’s reputation. “The actions of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan have tarnished the image of the Senate,” Adaramodu said during plenary. He added that efforts to clarify the Senate’s stance on the matter had been ineffective, as the public had already formed an opinion about the incident based on the Kogi Senator’s actions.
As a result of the disruption, the Senate moved to take disciplinary action. On the same day of the incident, the Senate referred Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Ethics Committee for further investigation. This decision was made after Senators considered and adopted a report presented by Adaramodu. The motion was put to a voice vote by Senate President Akpabio, and it was unanimously agreed that the matter would be reviewed by the committee.
Senator Akpabio, in his capacity as Senate President, instructed the Ethics Committee to thoroughly review the incident and provide a report back to the Red Chamber. The Senate’s formal referral indicated a clear intention to address what they saw as a serious breach of legislative conduct, with the possibility of disciplinary action depending on the committee’s findings.
In the wake of these developments, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team sought a judicial intervention, which culminated in the court’s order. The ruling now bars the Senate Ethics Committee from proceeding with any disciplinary action against her pending further legal proceedings.
